Stoltenberg criticises Trump’s NATO comments
Al Jazeera
The NATO chief said that any attack on the military alliance will be met with a ‘united’ response.
Top Western officials have criticised former United States President Donald Trump after he suggested the US might not protect NATO allies who aren’t spending enough on defence from a potential Russian invasion.
“Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a written statement.
“Any attack on NATO will be met with a united and forceful response,” he added.
On Saturday, at a political rally in South Carolina in the US, Trump, who is likely to be the Republican nominee in this year’s US presidential election, had said that as president, he warned NATO allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent”.
Trump’s remarks come as Ukraine remains mired in its efforts to stave off Russia’s 2022 invasion and as Republicans in the US Congress have become increasingly sceptical of providing additional aid money to the country as it struggles with stalled counteroffensives and weapons shortfalls.
